Abstract: There is provided a method of forming a silicon nitride film on a substrate having first and second films formed thereon, wherein the first film and the second film have different incubation times. The method includes: supplying a processing gas composed of a silicon halide having Si—Si bonds to the substrate; supplying a non-plasmarized second nitriding gas to the substrate; forming a thin silicon nitride layer covering the first film and the second film by repeating the supplying the processing gas and the supplying the second nitriding gas in a sequential order; supplying a plasmarized modifying gas to the substrate and modifying the thin silicon nitride layer; and forming the silicon nitride film on the modified thin silicon nitride layer by supplying the raw material gas and the first nitriding gas to the substrate.

Abstract: An endoscope system includes an insertion section, an imager, and a control device including a processor that processes a signal from the imager. The insertion section is inserted into a lumen as an object. The imager is monocular and is provided in the insertion section to capture an image of the object. The processor acquires actual size determination information for determining an actual size of at least a portion of the lumen. The processor calculates a three-dimensional structure of the lumen based on the captured image. The processor also calculates three-dimensional structure size information for determining an actual size of at least a portion of the three-dimensional structure by calibrating the three-dimensional structure of the lumen based on the actual size determination information. The processor also outputs specific portion size information representing an actual size of a specific portion of the three-dimensional structure, based on the three-dimensional structure size information.

Abstract: An endoscope system includes an insertion portion receiving a first force from an enteric canal and applying a second force, which is a reaction, to the enteric canal, a detection device detecting a position of the insertion portion, and a processor. The processor calculates a position of a point of application, a direction, and a magnitude of the first force, performs an arithmetic operation of a shape/position of the insertion portion based on an output from the detection device, determines a reaction position at which the second force is received, based on position information of the insertion portion and on position information of the point of application of the first force, sets two fixed points where the enteric canal is fixed, and calculates information of a third force and a fourth force directed toward the two fixed points from the reaction position with respect to the second force.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus is provided with a processor. The processor is configured to receive a moving image acquired by an endoscope; classify a scene of the moving image; and determine observation coverage of the moving image using a determination method corresponding to the classified scene.

Abstract: A force estimation system for calculating force information regarding forces applied to one or more positions of a flexible tubular portion having flexibility through an arithmetic operation, the force estimation system comprising: a processor configured to input the deformation state and the mechanical property at a plurality of longitudinal positions of the flexible tubular portion, and calculates the force information of the force applied to the individual positions of the flexible tubular portion based on the deformed state and the mechanical property.

Abstract: A processing device includes a processor, the processor being configured to: acquire a captured image of an inside of a lumen; acquire lumen structure information indicating a structure of the lumen; determine whether the captured image can be analyzed or not and output analysis allowability/non-allowability information indicating whether the captured image is in an analysis allowable state or not based on the captured image and first determination criteria; associate the analysis allowability/non-allowability information with the structure of the lumen based on the analysis allowability/non-allowability information and the lumen structure information to identify an analyzable portion and an unanalyzable portion of the structure of the lumen; and determine that the identified unanalyzable portion is a missed portion based on position and orientation information of a distal end of an insertion section to be inserted in the lumen and second determination criteria.

Abstract: An endoscope system includes: an insertion body inserted into a lumen; an objective optical system that is provided in the insertion body and acquires light from a subject as subject light; an image sensor that performs imaging based on the subject light to acquire a captured image within a field of view; a turning mechanism that causes a distal end of the insertion body to rotate around a reference axis that is an axis of the insertion body; an advancing/retreating mechanism that moves the insertion body in a direction corresponding to the reference axis; and a processor that includes hardware and is configured to control the turning mechanism and the advancing/retreating mechanism to control the field of view of the image sensor. The processor controls the turning mechanism and the advancing/retreating mechanism to perform scan of an inner wall of the lumen based on the field of view.

Abstract: A luminal structure calculation apparatus includes at least one processor including hardware. The processor acquires picked-up images at a plurality of points in time including a same site of an object acquired by an image pickup unit provided in an insertion section inserted into a lumen serving as the object and three-dimensional disposition including information concerning at least a part of a position or a direction of the image pickup unit and calculates a position of the same site based on the picked-up images at the plurality of points in time and the three-dimensional disposition to calculate a three-dimensional structure of the lumen.

Abstract: An endoscope system includes an insertion portion receiving a first force from an enteric canal and applying a second force, which is a reaction, to the enteric canal, a detection device detecting a position of the insertion portion, and a processor. The processor calculates a position of a point of application, a direction, and a magnitude of the first force, performs an arithmetic operation of a shape/position of the insertion portion based on an output from the detection device, determines a reaction position at which the second force is received, based on position information of the insertion portion and on position information of the point of application of the first force, sets two fixed points where the enteric canal is fixed, and calculates information of a third force and a fourth force directed toward the two fixed points from the reaction position with respect to the second force.

Abstract: A stress estimation system includes a flexible member with flexibility. The flexible member is to be inserted into an inside of an examined body and to apply force to an inner surface of the examined body. The stress estimation system also includes a force information acquisition unit configured to acquire force information relating to force acting on the flexible member, and a stress estimation unit configured to calculate information of stress relating to a stress estimation area, based on the force information.

Abstract: A supporting apparatus for supporting insertion of a flexible insertion member into a subject and removal of the insertion member includes an attention point acquisition unit, a first displacement acquisition unit and a determination unit. The attention point acquisition unit specifies at least one first attention point specified by a shape of the insertion member. The first displacement acquisition unit acquires a first displacement of the first attention point. The determination unit determines how a state of the insertion member or the subject is at a position corresponding to the first attention point, based on displacement information including information on the first displacement.

Abstract: A future shape estimation apparatus includes an insertion section, a shape sensor and an insertion section future shape estimation circuit. The insertion section has flexibility and is to be inserted into an observation target object. The shape sensor detects a bending state of the insertion section and outputs a detection signal. The insertion section future shape estimation circuit estimates a future shape of the insertion section after a predetermined lapse of time based on information acquired from the detection signal output from the shape sensor, and outputs the future shape as future estimation shape information.

Abstract: The shape sensor system of the present invention includes a braided structure in which small diameter bending members including two or more optical fibers, provided with detection target portions, are spirally wound around a core member as an axis in directions opposite to each other, or a braided structure in which three or more small diameter bending members including an optical fiber and a dummy optical fiber or a thin metal wire are braided, a plurality of detection target portions are distributed in the direction around the axis of the core member, the bending directions of the respective bending members are synthesized to detect a bending shape of the probe portion, a function of adjusting the fiber length in a braiding cycle is performed, and position deviation does not occur.

Abstract: A force estimation system for calculating force information regarding forces applied to one or more positions of a flexible tubular portion having flexibility through an arithmetic operation, the force estimation system comprising: a processor configured to input the deformation state and the mechanical property at a plurality of longitudinal positions of the flexible tubular portion, and calculates the force information of the force applied to the individual positions of the flexible tubular portion based on the deformed state and the mechanical property.

Abstract: The shape sensor system of the present invention includes a braided structure in which small diameter bending members including two or more optical fibers, provided with detection target portions, are spirally wound around a core member as an axis in directions opposite to each other, or a braided structure in which three or more small diameter bending members including an optical fiber and a dummy optical fiber or a thin metal wire are braided, a plurality of detection target portions are distributed in the direction around the axis of the core member, the bending directions of the respective bending members are synthesized to detect a bending shape of the probe portion, a function of adjusting the fiber length in a braiding cycle is performed, and position deviation does not occur.

Abstract: The insertion unit support system is provided for a tubular insertion system, and generates lumen information including the shape and location of a lumen based on the pre-acquired information about the lumen of a subject as an observation target that includes image information of two- or higher dimensional images, i.e., three-dimensional images or three-dimensional tomograms, so that the lumen information is used as support information for inserting the insertion unit of an endoscope. The lumens of the subjects targeted for the support of the insertion unit support system may vary in shape and location, and are deformed according to the shape of an inserted insertion unit. Thus, the support information is corrected and updated based on the deformation.

Abstract: A tubular insertion system includes an insertion unit including a bendable portion, a bending operation mechanism that operates the bendable portion. The tubular insertion system further includes a bending operation amount detection/calculation device that calculates bending operation amount information, a bent shape detection/calculation device that calculates bent shape information, and a first operation support information acquisition unit that acquires first operation support information based on at least one of the bending operation amount information and the bent shape information.

Abstract: An insertion portion detection device provided with a light source unit which emits measuring beam to an outer circumferential surface of a cylindrical shape of an insertion portion to be inserted into an insertion target and to be a detection target, an optical pattern detection unit which receives reflected light from the outer circumferential surface and which sequentially acquires image data in a predetermined range of the outer circumferential surface including given optical patterns so that at least some of the optical patterns correspond to the image data, and a displacement amount calculation unit which detects a corresponding optical pattern from the image data and calculates at least one of an insertion amount of the insertion portion and an amount of rotation around the central axis of the cylindrical shape.

Abstract: Example embodiments of the present invention relate to a manipulation support apparatus. The apparatus may include a processor and memory storing instructions that when executed on the processor cause the processor to perform the operation of acquiring detection data from a sensor provided in an inserted object which is inserted into a subject body. The detection data may be associated with a state of the inserted object. The apparatus then may decide setting information based on at least one of inserted object information and the user information. The apparatus then may generate support information for a manipulation of the inserted object based on the detection data and the setting information.

Abstract: A bending operation system includes an elongated tubular portion including a bending portion, a first linear member and a second linear member which cause the bending portion to bend, and a drive portion which displaces the first linear member and the second linear member. The bending operation system further includes a first displacement detector which acquires a displacement of the first linear member as a first displacement, a second displacement detector which acquires a displacement of the second linear member as a second displacement, and a calculator which calculates operation assist information by use of one or both of the first displacement and the second displacement.